Autonomous Security Operations Centers (SOC): AI Agents for Threat Triage, Response, and Orchestration

The escalating complexity and volume of cyber threats have exposed significant limitations in traditional Security Operations Centers (SOCs), particularly in terms of human scalability, response speed, and operational consistency. In response, the cybersecurity industry is increasingly incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) agents into SOC workflows to automate alert triage, incident response, and orchestration across diverse platforms. This review traces the technological evolution of AI-powered SOCs, emphasizing key capabilities such as machine learning-driven detection, autonomous response via Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR) systems, and integration across SIEM, EDR, and NDR tools. It analyzes agent-based architectures, including modular AI agents, large language model (LLM) assistants, and reinforcement learning systems, highlighting their practical benefits and deployment challenges. Case studies from leading vendors such as IBM, Microsoft, and Palo Alto Networks demonstrate real-world applications that enhance response efficiency, reduce analyst fatigue, and promote policy standardization. The review also addresses critical issues of explainability, adversarial robustness, and regulatory compliance, framing the roadmap toward fully autonomous Level 5 SOCs. The article concludes that while current implementations exhibit early-stage autonomy, widespread adoption will depend on advances in interpretability, human-in-the-loop integration, and responsible AI governance